Discover the Bella Lodi brand: here's our interview.

In the heart of the Po Valley, in Lodi, the story of  Pozzali Lodigrana begins. It is here that in 1947 three young brothers decide to embark on a venture in the dairy sector and become entrepreneurs.

Their family has always been linked to agriculture and the territory, and they decide to carry on this relationship in their own way. Initially, the brothers set up their first cheese factory within the family agricultural business, and it is here that they begin to process the milk from their production and that of local farms. Immediately, the cheese factory achieves great success.
About ten years later, in 1958, the second-born Giovanni Pozzali inaugurates the new cheese factory in Casaletto Ceredano, in the province of Cremona, just a few kilometers from Lodi.
In the 1990s, the company, which has meanwhile become Lodigrana, grows and diversifies, gaining more and more experience and importance. In fact, the cheese factory perfects its food technology, which allows it to ensure quality and hygiene.
Lodigrana grows until it launches the dairy specialty that translates this family story into flavor: Bella Lodi, a sincere tribute to the ancient past of the Lodi land. After innovations and expansions, the establishment excels in the Italian dairy sector.

The cornerstone that characterizes Bella Lodi is precisely the tradition. One of the most typical and traditional products of this company is the Raspadura Bella Lodi, which showcases the ancient technique of "raspa", a way of serving cheese by presenting it as thin shavings, scraped with a special long knife.

We love these realities, these producers of unique, certified, and award-winning delicacies: they are true treasures nestled in our Peninsula between seas and mountains and in the more remote streets of villages and countryside. We do not just stop at enjoying their products, but we want to discover more closely the protagonists of this brand. That is why we sent some questions to those who manage communication with us.

Stay with us to learn about Lodigrana Bella Lodi: read the answers!
 

• Who are we talking to?
  I am Marco Montemezzani, Marketing Manager.
   
• Is the company family-run? How many generations and since what year exactly?
  Yes, it has been for 3 generations, exactly since 1947.
   
• Who was the founder and what was his training or what was his working and professional background if different from the current one?
  Our story begins in Lodi in 1947, the year in which three young brothers who will soon graduate in Milan decide to transform themselves into dairy entrepreneurs. Within the family agricultural business, they set up their first cheese factory to process the milk from their production and that of some local farms.
  In 1958 the second-born, architect Giovanni Pozzali, inaugurates the new cheese factory just a few kilometers from Lodi, in Casaletto Ceredano (CR).
   
• What is the real reason or triggering fact behind the birth of this company and when did it happen?
  In the 1990s the company, now become Pozzali Lodigrana, grows and diversifies until it launches the dairy specialty that translates this family story into flavor: Bella Lodi, a sincere tribute to the millennia-old past of the Lodi land.
   
• What is your relationship with the land of origin and its uniqueness? And why do you want to tell it with your products?
  The Granone Lodigiano is considered the progenitor of all "grana" cheeses.
  It was famous for having a black rind like the shapes on which the Madonna of our country's Sanctuary sits, which is about 1 km from the Abbey of Cerreto where the monks began these productions; it is natural that we have continued the tradition of a dairy specialty that is now recognized as PAT (Traditional Agri-food Product), one of the jewels of the Italian gastronomic tradition.
   
• What was the first product you created?
  The Bella Lodi Classico black rind.
   
• What is the product that you now consider your "flagship"?
  The Raspadura Bella Lodi, is another typical product of the tradition and has no equals, made entirely by hand.
   
• And what is the product that throughout the company's history has most embody the beating heart, philosophy, and soul of the company itself?
  Always the Bella Lodi Classico black rind.
   
• Let's talk about today: how much has the company grown since its inception? Can we have some numbers?
  It has not "grown"; its first objective has always been quality, which is why production is limited and follows strict rules and principles: zero km milk, natural cream separation, selection of lactic ferments for a unique taste, manual spinning, copper boilers, pure linen cloths; production and aging are calibrated based on a constant, weekly sensory analysis of a tasting group.
   
• At this moment: more tradition or more innovation?
  50% and 50%: tradition, as mentioned above, is the doctrine, while innovation has allowed us to certify the natural absence of lactose and to certify the supply chain.
   
• What has been the most important evolution of the company to reach what it is today?
  Pursuing and maintaining the quality of its production unchanged.
   
• Speaking of the future: what awaits the company tomorrow? Is there any planned change or new evolutionary process?
  We have recently adopted the use of 100% recyclable and 100% compostable packaging.
   
• Do you plan to create new products?
  Only if they are consistent with our philosophy related to maximum quality and connected to our tradition.
   
• Having focused on Spaghetti & Mandolino, how important is online sales for you, what has your past relationship with this sales channel been and how do you see it in the future?
  It is an opportunity and will always be more so for family-run and artisanal companies and for consumers who in some cases could never know and purchase some poorly distributed products but often of the highest quality. In the past, we have seen our product sold online by some of our clients, but never directly by us; we are producers, not distributors.
   
• Value: what has it been, what is it today, and what will it be in the future for your company?
  Quality, tradition, sustainability.

S&M